An Indian haunting that comes close

1920
Cast: Rajneesh Duggal, Adah Sharma
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Rating: ** 1/2

Think of Vikram Bhatt and you think Ghulam and Raaz, followed by a stream of duds and you wonder — what happened? Then comes along 1920, peopled with non-actors and wannabe stars who believe modelling somehow equips them to portray characters with conviction. Alas, whether in the past or present, such is not the case. Yet Bhatt manages to pull out some scares and create a passable horror movie.

The supernatural thriller is set in 1920 British India with the story travelling even further back to the end of the 1800s. Arjun (Duggal) and Lisa (Sharma) have eloped and married against his family’s wishes. Their violent opposition to his inter-caste marriage propels Arjun to reject his faith.

Later, the couple moves to Palanpur where architect Arjun is assigned the task of converting a sprawling, haunted house into a hotel.

Since this is a period film, we must tolerate Duggal’s distracting stick-on side-burn extensions and Sharma’s Victorian gowns and parasols, for the sake of ‘authenticity’. Never mind that Palanpur looks suspiciously like the English county of Yorkshire and you’d be hard-pressed to find Shire horses anywhere in India.

Having said that, the house and its surrounding lawns set the tone for the horrors awaiting Arjun and Lisa, as lurking spirits are awakened and antagonised. The art direction, interiors, cinematography and lighting contribute to building suspense and tension. On the flipside, the songs negate the build up.

The special effects, too, are rather good, but then it’s quite easy to replicate scenes from Hollywood horror films. Fans of the genre are sure to spot many of their favourite thrillers within 1920.

Duggal is fairly benign, and Sharma shows no expressions or vulnerability in the early part, but redeems herself as the possessed and tortured young woman. Over all, Bhatt manages to engage the viewer in large parts, and throws in a few shockers as well, and that’s all one can ask for from a derivative horror.